Wind farm - Long term noise and vibration measurements

Abstract

Most of the energy produced in Quebec comes from renewable sources. The concept of wind energy emerged in the late 1990's and has since become a complementary source of energy alongside hydroelectricity. Wind farms are generally seen as a good sustainable way to produce energy. However, they are not implemented without some impact on the environment. SNC-Lavalin Environment has performed many surveys in recent years for wind farm projects, including noise measurements both before and after their commissioning. This presentation will give an overview of one such project where long term noise and vibration measurements where conducted. Vibration measurements, as well as outdoor, indoor and low frequencies noise measurements were completed both with and without the wind turbines in operation. Data will be presented showing different problems encountered in the analysis phase. For example, multiple intermittent and non-steady noise sources were present during measurement (wind turbines, car pass-bys, wind in the trees, human activities). Methods used to overcome these obstacles will be discussed (use of statistical parameters, linear regression), and the effect of the wind turbine operation on the noise level (including low frequencies) and vibration level will be presented. © 2013 Acoustical Society of America.